Stone-gatherer.



D. C. COREY.

STONE GATHEHER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 29' "ML 1 ,274,244. Patented July 30, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET Iv INVENTOR @2218 6? Corey WITNESSES W 656% BY C. C. COREY.

STONE GATHERER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR 23. 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEEI 2.

Patented July 30, 1918.

WITN ESSES ATTORNEY CYRUS C. COREY, OF CANADENSIS, PENNSYLVANIA.

STONE-GATHERER.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J uly 30, 1918.

Application filed March 28, 1917. Serial No. 158,017.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CYRUs C. COREY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Canadensis, in the county of Monroe and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stone- Gatherers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to stone gatherers, and aims primarily to provide a simplified and improved machine which, when drawn over the ground, will gather stones and deliver the same to a crushing mechanism, which deposits the crushed stone upon the ground. A further object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which is of light weight so as to be easily operated by draft horses, and which has its mechanism so arranged as to minimize the opportunity for wear or breakage of the various movable parts.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a machine of the character set forth which employs a picker member for lifting stones from the ground, and'which is featured by an improved mechanism for adjusting the picker member toward and away from the stone conveyer, whereby the machine may be adjusted to compensate for stones of various sizes. A still further object of the invention is to rovide an improved conveyer in connection with a machine of this character, which conveyer includes an improved uard or shield for preventing the stones rom being thrown out of the path of the conveyer.

\Vith these objects in View, together with others which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the novel formation, combination, and arrangement of parts, all as will be described more fully hereinafter, illustrated in the drawings, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of a stone gatherer and crusher constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the machine;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken through the crushing mechanism;

Fig. 4 is a detail view of the picker member and the means for operating the same;

Fig. 5 is a detail fragmentary view illustrating the adjusting means for the picker member; and

Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view taken throu h the conveyer.

Re erring now to the drawings, 10 indicates the frame of a conventional form of vehicle or draft apparatus, and upon which the improved gathering, conveying, and crushing apparatus is located. It 1s preferred that this frame be of light weight, and yet possess suflicient strength to withstand the strains and pressures to which it willbe subjected in use. The frame is mounted upon front and rear wheels 11 and 12 respectively.

The mechanism employed in carrying out the invention includes a hopper 13 located preferably at the forward end of the frame, and within this hopper is pivoted a crushing plate 14. This plate is provided upon its rear face with a laterally disposed roller 15, which is contacted by a cam or oval roller 16. As the cam is rotated through its supporting shaft 17, the crushing plate 14 is forced toward the forward wall 18 of the hopper, and any stones or clods which may be positioned between the wall and plate will be crushed or distintegrated and the crushed portions may escape through the bottom of the hopper as is obvious. The shaft 17 is equipped with a drive wheel 19, over which a belt 20 passes; the said belt being trained over a drive wheel 21 mounted upon the shaft 22 of a suitable power source, such as an internal combustion engine indicated at 23.

Associated with the crushing mechanism above described is a conveyer for moving the stones from the ground into the open upper end of the hopper. A conveyer frame is indicated at 25, and is supported by suitable brackets 26 at its upper end. This frame extends rearwardly and downwardly from the open end of the hopper, and terminates at its rearmost end adjacent the ground. The rear end of the conveyer is suspended from the frame of the vehicle by contractile springs 27 Shafts 28 and 29 are rotatably mounted at the upper and lower ends relatively of the conveyer frame, and these shafts carry sprockets 30, over which belt chains 31 pass. These belt or conveyer chains may be equipped with slats or holding boards 32 to support the stones carried b the conveyer in their upward movement.

arried by the conveyer frame and extending across the same directly beneath the uppermost portion of the conveyor chain is a screen 33, which supports the stones in their upward travel; The screen may be of any desired mesh, depending u on the size stones it is desired to crush. i uch as are deposited upon the screen and are small enough to pass through the screen will, of course, be deposited upon the ground, and will not be presented to the crushlng mechanism.

The extremities of the shaft 29 at the rear end of the conveyer are equipped with wheels or rollers 35, which contact the ground and support the rear end of the conveyor. The shaft 28 is equipped w1th a sprocket wheel 36, over which passes a chain 37 in driving connection with the shait 22 of the engine.

To prevent the stones del vered to the conveyer beingJ thrown too vlolently upon the conveyor y the picker element to hereafter detailed, a shield or guard 40 is employed. This guard extends transversely of the conveyer, and is supported upon the conveyer frame by depending legs 41. Bolts 42 are passed through these legs 41 and through suitable apertures 43 arranged in spaced relation on the conveyer frame. It will be observed that the lower edge of the body portion of the guard is spaced above the conveyer a distance suflicient to permit of the stones carried by the conveyor passing freely thereunder. By providing a guard of this character, it is obvious that stones violently thrown upwardly upon the conveyor will be arrested upon the conveyor. Destruction or disorder of the mechanism or any of the parts by the picker mechanism is thus obviated. By renderin the guard adjustable longitudinally of t e conveyer frame, it is apparent that the guard is capable of compensating for different speeds of rotation of the picker member.

The picker member is indicated generally at 50, and includes a rotatable member mounted upon a suitable shaft 51. This rotatable member carries a plurality of arcuate tines or teeth 52, which are adapted to engage the ground and lift stones and clods therefrom. The shaft 51 which carries this icker member is journaled in straps or brackets 53, the said brackets depending from the medial port-ions of supporting rods 54. The brackets 53 are equipped with spaced openings 55, through any of which a bolt 56 may be inserted to rigidly secure the brackets to the supporting rods. The forward end of each rod is ivoted as at 57 to the adjacent longitudinal er of the frame 10, so that the rods are capable of swinging vertically. Adjusting openings 58 are arran ed in spaced relation upon therods 54 at t e forward end thereof, so that the degree of vertical adjustment of the said rods may be regulated. The rear ends of the rods 54 are connected to the lower ends of arms 59 carried by a shaft 60 extending laterally across the vehicle frame. A lever 61 is socured to the shaft 60 for operatin the same, and may be equipped with a suitable latch for playing over a segment 62'. It is obvious from this construction, that adjustment of the lever 61 will cause the lowest or middle portions of the rods 54 to move towardor away from the round, accordingly as the lever 61 is move It is also obvious that the supporting brackets 53 may be adjusted upon the rods 54, so that the picker element may be adjusted toward and awa from the ground.

T e brackets 53 support a jack shaft 65, which is equipped at one end with a sprocket wheel 66 over which a power chain 62 is passed. This power chain is also passed over a sprocket upon the shaft 22 of the en gine. The jack shaft 65 carries gears 70, which mesh with gears 71 on the picker shaft, so that rotary movement developed in the jack shaft 65 will be transmitted to the picker member.

From the foregoing, it is obvious that as the machine is drawn over the ground and the engine 23 is operated, stones will be gathered by the picker member and delivered to the conve er. The conveyer moves the stones upwar ly and into the open end of the hopper, whereupon the latter operates upon the stones to crush and thoroughly disintegrate the same. I have illustrated a hook 75 at the forward end of the machine, and it is intended that a harrow or other ground agitator be secured thereto for loosening the ground prior to picking operation. The various parts of the machine are so assembled as to minimize the op ortunity for wear or breakage. The seat or the operator is located preferably at the rear of the machine, and in a position to permit of the operator having ready access to the control lever 61. When it is desired to have the picker member operate upon stones of unusual size, the lever 61 will be actuated so as to move the icker member away from the lower end of t e conveyor.

While the present is a disclosure of what I believe to be the preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto, but that various changes may be made in the construction, arrangement, and proportion of parts, without departing-from the spirit of the invention, as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is 1. In a device of the class described, a vehicle, a conveyer on said vehicle, wheels supporting one end of said conveyer, a icker member adjacent the wheeled end 0 said conveyer, the said picker member being capable of being adjusted toward or away from said conveyer, and means for adjusting said picker member.

2. In a device of the class described, a vehicle, a conveyer on said vehicle, supporting bars pivoted at one end to said vehicle and being disposed at their medial portions adjacent said conveyer, a lever for adjusting said bars, straps adjustably mounted upon the medial portions of said bars, a shaft rotatably mounted in said straps, a picker roller rctatably supported in said straps, means for transmitting power from said shaft to said roller, and means for driving said shaft.

3. In a device of the class described, a vehicle, a conveyer on said vehicle, a guard adjustably mounted over said conveyer, a. picker member for delivering matter to said conveyer, and means for driving said picker member.

4. In a device of the class described, :1. vehicle, a conveyer frame on said vehicle, a conveyer on said frame, a guard adjustably mounted on said frame, and a picker memher for deliverin matter to said conveyer.

In testimon w ereof I aflix my signature in presence 0 two witnesses.

CYRUS C. COREY.

Witnesses:

S. R. HAZELTON, K. M. HAZELTON. 

